French architects and engineers in the Age of Enlightenment
By: Antoine Picon ; translated by Martin Thom.
Series: Cambridge studies in the history of architecture
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1992
Place of publication: Cambridge [England]; New York, NY, USA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 437
Subjects: Neoclassicism (Architecture) -- France; Architecture -- Philosophy; Engineering -- Philosophy; France -- Intellectual life -- 18th century
Description: "The professions of architect and engineer, which had maintained very close links since the time of the Renaissance, became increasingly isolated from one another in France during the course of the eighteenth century, the 'Age of the Enlightenment'. This book analyses the meaning of this gradual mutual isolation, the consequences of which can still be felt at a variety of different levels, and offers a unique insight in English to the teaching and practice of architects such as Jacques-Francois Blondel and Pierre Patte, and engineers such as Jean-Rodolphe Perronet and Gaspard-Riche de Prony. The text of the book is clear and easily comprehensible, and presents a fully accessible account of this key period in the development of architectural achievement and debate."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 354-425) and index.
Translation of: Architectes et ingénieurs au siècle des Lumières.